Automobile heater



Nov, 8, 1938. MARTY AUTOMOBILE HEATER Filed March 19, 1937 2Sheets-Sheet l l/ I I .fizwezzrr' MTHEWJMARTY M. J. MARTY I 2,135,827

AUTOMOBILE HEATER Filed March 19, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 flag/ MA THEW J;MARTY Patented Nov. 8, 1938 I 2,135,827

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE AUTOMOBILE HEATER Mathew J. Marty, Chicago,Ill.

Application March 19, 1937, Serial No. 131,905

Claims. (Cl; 230119) My invention relates to heaters for warming Fig. 2is a view looking at the side of the the interiors of vehicles havingclosed bodies, and heater with portions broken away and in section. ithas special reference to the type of heater Fig. 3 is a view in detailof the fan chamber wherein hot fluid from the engine cooling systemremoved from the housing and shown in trans- 5 is circulated in a smallradia or and a current of verse vertical section.

air is forced-through such radiator for distribution Fig. 4 is avertical axial section taken on line within the vehicle body. 4-4 ofFig. 3.

The aim of the present invention is to distribute Fig. 5 is a view on asmaller scale showing a the heated air in a plurality of directionsoutward modified form of fan. from the casing in which the heat unit ishoused The drawings are to be understood as being 10 so that theseseparate currents of air may be somewhat schematic, and they are for thepurpose utilized for different purposes. For example, one of disclosinga typical or preferred form in which current of air is dischargedthrough the fi out of this'invention may be made, and in thete drawthehousing for warming the vehicle interior, ings like reference charactersare used to desigwhile another current of air, which is discharged natelike parts wherever such parts appear in the 15 preferably in a tangentdirection, may be utilized difierent views. for the purpose ofdefrosting the windshield of The heater unit is preferably of the usualtube the vehicle. If desired, however,- the second curand fin typehaving headers or chambers at rent of air, instead of being used todefrost, may the ends of the tubes, one of which headers rebe directedtoward the feet of the person sitting ceives the heated fluid from theengine cooling 20 to one side of the heater rather than the personsystem and the other header returns thefluid to who may be seateddirectly in front of the heater. the cooling system after passagethrough the In connection with this present invention the tubes. Thebefore-mentioned structure is usumain current of heated air isdischarged, preferally designated as the core or unit and has been 23ably straight out or axially from the pan or blower identified herein asa whole by the numeral 6. 5 5 and the other current of air is dischargedtangent There is a housing that partially surrounds this to the fan orblower. In order to do this the core 6 and is anchored in some suitablemanner fan is positioned so that it rotates within an to the dash boardof the vehicle and the pipes to annular fan-chamber of p f r ly ch n ledand from the headers project through the dash shape in cross-section.This fan-chamber has a board. A somewhat cylindrical wall 1 of this 30 dar n zzl xt nding an en to h nhousing is shown at the right in Fig. 2and there I181; and the fan is preferably disposed S ight y is an innerannular flange 8 that extends ineccentric within the chamber so that theouter wardly alongside the adjacent walls of the edges of the blades areSpaced farther from e headers, and there is a similar flange at theoppoas yl n W Of the chamber as y ppr h site side of the core 6 so thatthe latter is enthe nozzle than at other locations remote to the closedby the housing and openings of substannoZZlo Which thus Permits thepressure to ho tial dimensions are provided at the front and buil -up atth p p pla f d s a through rear of the structure for passage of airthrough the nozzle. the core. In the usual practice, a fan or the I someof the objects and advantages of the like is mounted at the rear of thecore and housing 40 present structure are that it is novel in constructdrive air through th core to heat such air by tion; t s mad f s u dyparts to w thstand intimate contact with the tubes of the core. In hardusage; it is dependable in operation; it is my improved structure Iprefer to have the fan ea y t j t d op and it is economical as disposedin front of the core where it will draw to manufacture o t it y be Soldto the or suck the air through the latter. However, 45 user for areasonable retail p Further it will be understood the fan may bedispofed in je ts and advantages Will b obvious o persons either of thepositions mentioned depending upon skilled in the art after the deviceis understood the use to which the apparatus is put.

from the following description taken in con nec- Th fan chamber is inthe form of a casting.

tion w t e accompanying drawings that/form as shown in Figs. 3 and 4 andconsists'of a cylin- 50 a P horoindrical wall 9 having inwardly disposedannularly In the drawings: flanges l0, it). These flanges extend towardeach Fig. 1 is a vertical elevation of the improved other and they areof gradually increasing width heater withaportion of the adiacent wallremoved from the top toward the bottom of the fan for clearness. chamberand the inner edges of these flanges 55 describe a circle that iseccentric to the periphery of the cylindrical wall 9. At a locationtangent to the lower arc of the cylindrical wall there is a -dischargenozzle ll of tubular form through which air may be discharged in adirection transverse to the axis of rotation of the fan. In Fig. 3 theline of travel of the edges of the fan blades is indicated by thedot-dash line Discharge of air through the nozzle II is controlled bymeans of a disk-valve l2 mounted upon a rotatable spindle l3 that hastransversely disposed bearings in opposite sides of the nozzle, and oneend of which projects outside the wall of the nozzle where it is bent toform a lateral operating handle I4.

A spider consisting of a plurality of radially disposed arms l5 extendsfrom the outer flange ID of the fan chamber, which said arms are bowedslightly as seen in Fig. 4 and have their inner ends joined to a concaveseat or saddle I6 in .which the fan motor I! is mounted. The motor isheld in this seat by means of a strap l8 that has its ends clamped inposition by bolts 19. The shaft 20 of the motor projects into the fanchamber and has the hub 2| of the fan secured to it. The blades 22 ofthe fan project radially from the hub and their outer edges are disposedslightly inside the edges of the flanges ID of the fan-chamber. As isclearly shown in the drawings the fan is eccentric to the cylindricalwall 9 of the chamber so as to dispose the blades closer to the topportion of the cylindrical wall 9 than at the opposite portion of saidwall. When the fan is rapidly rotated the pressure gradually builds upin the deepest or widest portion space between the peripheral edges ofthe blades and the cylindrical wall 9 of the fan chamber and thisbuilt-up air pressure is discharged through the nozzle H. The fan bladescreat a draft of air in an axial direction and will cause air to flowthrough the core of the heater in the manner shown by the arrows in Fig.2. The current of air becomes divided, so that a portion leaves theperipheral portions of the blades to be directed into the channel of thefan-chamber and the remaining portion of the air current is dischargedaxially through the front of the structure.

The motor, as seen in Fig. 2 extends beyond the fan chamber and asuitable guard or shell 23 houses the motor and is provided with aplurality of apertures through which the air may be discharged. Thefan-chamber has a plurality of lateral lugs or ears 25 whereby it may bemounted upon the housing 1 by means of the screws or the like. It willbe seen the fan-chamber and fan, together with the motor and its guardshell may be made in the form ofa unit which may be assembled as suchand then conveniently mounted upon the housing 1 of the heater core.

In Fig. 5 is shown a different type of fan embodying a plurality ofblades 26 extending radially from a hub 21 and having their outer edgesconnected by an annular or circumferential band 28, and a plurality offins or paddle-wheel blades projecting radially from the band 28. Withthis form of fan the annular or peripheral current of air is created inthe fan-chamber by the paddlewheel blades 29, while the obliquelydisposed blades 26 create the current which moves the air through theheater core and discharges a portion of the heated air through the frontof the struc-' ture.

The air whichis discharged from the nozzle H is a portion of the airthat passes through the heater core and is therefore of a highertemperature than the air within the vehicle body This tangent current ofair may be directed toward the feet of the driver of the vehicle, whenthe heater is mounted on the right side of the dash board, or such. airmay be conveyed by a hose to the windshield and discharged thereon forthe purpose of defrosting the surface thereof.

It will be obvious that the fan chamber unit, whichincludesthemotor andfan, may be mounted upon the opposite side of the heater core andtherefore adjacent the dash board. In this posi tion the air will bedriven from the rear through the heater core where it is raised intemperature and from whence it is discharged into the vehicle forwarming the latter. However, the air discharged through the nozzle llwould not be heated air but may nevertheless be used for the purpose ofdefrosting the windshield.

The structure disclosed herein isof course susceptible of variousarrangements other than those herein specifically disclosed. I believe Iam the first to utilize a fan-chamber upon one of the faces of a heaterunit for building up a current of air-pressure adjacent the peripheralpath of movement of the fan blades and discharging the annular currenttangent to the rotational axis of the fan. It is obvious thisfan-chamber need not be of a circular outline as shown but it may be anovoid or it may have rectangular portions as desired or convenient.Furthermore, I am not aware of the use of an eccentrically disposed fanin a fan-chamber or the prior use of a fan-chamber in which walls areprovided that are gradually increased in dimensions similar to theflanges IU of my present structure regardless of whether the axis of thefan is eccentric to the center of the chamber. Hence it is to beunderstood that I make broad-claim to the abovenamed features ofconstruction, and limited interpretations are not to be placed upon thelanguage of the claims appended hereto.

What is claimed is:-

l. A fan unit for automobile heaters comprising a casing embodying asubstantially cylindrical wall and having a tangentially arrangeddischarge port; a saddle associated with the wall of said casing; amotor mounted in said saddle; a multi-blade fan operatively connectedwith said motor and rotatable in said casing, the axis of saidcylindrical casing wall being eccentric with respect to the axis ofrotation of said fan, said cylindrical casing wall-terminating at eachside flanges defining relatively wide circular openings in oppositesides of said casing whereby a portion of the air from the fan isdischarged through said tangential discharge port, while the remain ingportion of air from the fan is discharged axially through one of saidrelatively wide openings. 1

2. A fan unit for automobile heaters comprising a casing embodyingasubstantially cylindrical wall and having a tangentially arrangeddischarge port; means associated with the wall of said casing forming asaddle; a motor mounted in said saddle; a fan operatively connected withsaid motor and rotatable within said casing, the axis of saidcylindrical casingwall being out of alignment with the axis of rotationof said fan,

from the edges of said wall, said flanges forming with said wall ashallow chamber overtaking the tips of the fan blades, said flangesdefining reatively wide circular air inlet and discharge openings inopposite sides of said casing whereby a portion of the air drawn intosaid fan through said inlet opening is discharged through the tangentialdischarge port in said casing, the remaining air from the fan beingdischarged axially through the discharge opening formed by one of theflanges on said casing,

3; A fan unit for automobile heaters comprising a casing embodying asubstantially cylindrical wall and having a tangentially arrangeddischarge port; a fan rotatable in said casing, the axis of saidcylindrical casing wall being out of alignment with the axis of rotationof said fan, said cylindrical casing wall terminating at each side ofsaid fan in spaced annular flanges of, gradually increasing widthprojecting inwardly from the edges of said wall, said flanges definingrelatively wide air inlet and discharge openings in opposite sides ofsaid casing, said fan and casing being arranged whereby a portion of theair drawn into said fan through one of said air inlet openings isdischarged through said tangential discharge port in the wall of saidcasing while the remaining air discharged by the fan passes axiallythrough said relatively wide openings; a saddle associated with saidcasing and arranged on the air discharge side of said casing; and amotor carried by said saddle and operatively connected to said fan.

4. A fan unit for automobile heaters comprising a casing embodying asubstantially cylindrical wall and having a tangentially arrangeddischarge port; means associated with the wall of said casing forming asaddle; a motor mounted in said saddle; a fan operatively connected withsaid motor and rotatable in said casing, the axis of said cylindricalcasing wall being eccentric with respect to the axis of rotation of saidfan, said cylindrical casing wall terminating at each side of said fanin spaced annular flanges of gradually increasing width projectinginwardly from the edges of said wall, said flanges defining relativelywide air inlet and discharge openings in opposite sides of said casingwhereby a portion of the air drawn axially into said fan through thewide inlet opening is discharged through said tangential discharge portin said casing and the remaining portion of air from the fan dischargedaxially through the other of said relatively wide openings.

5. A fan unit for automobile heaters comprising a casing embodying asubstantially cylindrical wall and having a tangentially arrangeddischarge port; a valve in said port for regulating the air flowtherethrough; a saddle associated with said casing; a motor mounted insaid saddle; a fan operatively connected with said motor and rotatablein said casing, said cylindrical casing wall terminating at each sideof'said fan in spaced annular flanges, said flanges defining relativelywide circular air inlet and discharge openings in opposite sides of thecasing whereby a portion of the air drawn into said fan through theinlet opening is discharged through the tangential discharge portin'said casing, the remaining air from the fan being discharged axiallythrough the discharge opening formed by one of the flanges on saidcasing.

MATHEW J. MARTY.

